Jack Bruce & Robin Trower
(Ruf)
There are those that have accused Jack Bruce of sometimes under performing by rehashing overly familiar fare (i.e. constant Cream) and lowering his standards to replay turgid heavy metal (the ill considered West Bruce and Laing). After all, his avant garde repertoire demonstrated he was capable of exploring the outer realms of fusion and melody, just as his nimble fretwork and stirring vocals have marked him as perhaps the greatest bassist/vocalist in contemporary realms, Paul McCartney and John Entwistle notwithstanding. Consequently, his union with guitarist Robin Trower was seen by some as yet another attempt to recapture former glories, putting him back in driving mode with a flashy guitarist and a powerhouse drummer (in this case the more-than-capable Gary Husband).
However, if that was the suspicion with the trio's three earlier entries, doubts could be erased given the evidence exhibited on this live recording taken from a concert this past February in Holland. While the ever-present Cream classics are still included - the well trod but still sturdy "Sunshine of Your Love," "White Room" and "Politician" - the emphasis is mainly on the duo's collaborative compositions. In fact, there's an unexpected freshness and vitality evident in these proceedings, a combination that may have been less than evident on the trio's trio of studio albums. Bruce's vocals are still as resounding as ever and his bass work still fills in all the spaces, allowing Trower's guitar to soar as Husband holds down the center.
Trower appears to have pulled back on the Hendrix inflections that marked his earliest expositions, but if he's handed the reigns to Bruce, it makes the formula all the more fluid. "So Far To Yesterday" and "Perfect Place" skip along blithely while "Just Another Day" explores those darker, more obtuse realms that made for such interesting offshoots in Bruce's eclectic solo career. Yes, there's still ample evidence the group holds a penchant for stultifying blues riffing and an occasional leaden melody, but overall Seven Moons Live finds its participants shining brightly in the collective spotlight.
Standout Tracks: "So Far to Yesterday," "White Room" LEE ZIMMERMAN
